Millionaire tycoon could face two years in jail after he sparked outrage when he was filmed driving £2.5m Bugatti supercar at 259MPH on speed limit-free autobahn
- Radim Passer, 58, posted video of himself on A2 between Berlin and Hanover
- Czech tycoon reached 259mph while on autobahn, but did not break record
- German police said they were looking at the possibility it was a ‘banned car race’
- Mr Passer is Czech Republic’s 33rd-richest individual, worth some £226 million
A millionaire tycoon could face two years in jail after he filmed himself reaching a speed of 259mph on a German motorway in his £2.5million Bugatti supercar.
Prosecutors confirmed they are investigating Radim Passer, 58, for taking part in an alleged illegal race after he posted a video online of himself racing down the A2 between Berlin and Hanover.
Mr Passer said the stunt in the Bugatti – which can do 0-124mph in 6.5 seconds – was undertaken last year on a six-mile, three-lane strip of road with ‘visibility along the whole stretch’.
He claimed ‘safety was a priority’ but his car can be seen passing other vehicles in the blink of an eye and the light in the video suggests it was taken at twilight.
Police in Saxony-Anhalt said a file had been passed to prosecutors, the Sun reported, with spokeswoman Doreen Guenther adding: ‘We are looking at the possibility of a banned car race.’
Mr Passer, according to Forbes, is the Czech Republic’s 33rd-richest individual with a wealth of £226million.
Radim Passer (pictured), 58, posted a video online of himself racing down the A2 between Berlin and Hanover. Like many sections of autobahn there was no speed limit.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7pg1hhW5qhM%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1
His stunt sparked outrage in Germany and prompted safety campaigners to call for speed limits to be introduced on the autobahn, where there are currently no restrictions outside urban areas.
In a statement, the transport ministry in Berlin said that it ‘rejects any behaviour in road traffic that leads or can lead to endangering road users’.
‘All road users must abide by the rules of the road traffic regulations,’ it added, citing the first clause of the legislation, which states that ‘anyone participating in traffic must behave in such a way that no other person is harmed, endangered or obstructed or inconvenienced more than is unavoidable under the circumstances’.
Noting that the video shows the Czech businessman taking his hands off the steering wheel to celebrate as the car slows down, the ministry said the law also required drivers to ‘only drive so fast that the vehicle is constantly under control’.
Mr Passer suggested beneath the video that he placed his faith in more than just his driving skills.
‘We thank God for the safety and good circumstances, as we were able to reach the speed,’ he wrote.
Mr Passer said the stunt in the Bugatti – which can do 0-124mph in 6.5 seconds – was undertaken last year on a six-mile, three-lane strip of road with ‘visibility along the whole stretch’ (file picture)
Despite his boast, the investment chief set only the third fastest speed down the autobahn.
The record was set in 1938 when racing driver Rudolf Caracciola hit 268.8mph in a specially-modified Mercedes Benz.
He clocked just half-a-mile an hour quicker than rival Bernd Rosemeyer, driving an Auto Union, the firm that would become Audi.
The pair had had the motorway shut down.
The Green Party, now a junior partner in Germany’s coalition government, called for an 80mph speed limit across the autobahn network in last year’s election campaign, as part of efforts to cut the carbon dioxide emissions.
But that idea was ditched during talks to form the new government.
Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo owns the same model of Chiron, which has an electronically limited top speed of 261mph.
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